Idul Fitri holidaymakers hit the road once more

Idul Fitri holidaymakers hit the road once more

JAKARTA (JP): All major roads leading to Jakarta and other big cities in Java were congested yesterday as millions of people headed home from their villages after an extended Idul Fitri holiday. The congestion is expected to peak today.

The situation was not as chaotic as last week's exodus which saw a line of cars creeping slowly along a 150 kilometer stretch of the Pantura highway along the northern coast of Java.

The police were out in full force to ensure order on the roads. They directed all private vehicles away from Pantura onto the southern route. The Pantura highway was reserved for buses after the authorities decided that private cars were to blame for last week's unprecedented jams.

A number of senior government officials, among them Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto and Lt. Gen. Soeyono, the Armed Forces' chief of general affairs, were on hand to personally supervise the operation.

Most factories and private companies in and around Jakarta have given their staff the week off, and expect them to return to work tomorrow.

Lt. Gen. Soeyono, who monitored the roads from a helicopter, told reporters that he believed the congestion yesterday was not as bad as it might have been. "There were minor hitches, particularly at the toll gates. If the cashiers could give change quicker, then there wouldn't such long queues at the toll exits," he said.

Last week the government was forced to deploy more buses than originally estimated because hundreds of buses were stranded in the massive congestion as they attempted to return to Jakarta.

The situation was reversed yesterday. Dozens of empty buses were sitting at Pulo Gadung and various other terminals in Jakarta. An official at Pulo Gadung said the buses had been told to head back to the villages, but the drivers refused to leave without passengers.

Many bus operators have said that this year's Idul Fitri, traditionally a very lucrative time, has been a nightmare with many reporting huge losses because the massive congestion has cut the number of trips each bus could make.

Minister Haryanto said he was determined to punish bus companies which overcharged their passengers.

The government has allowed firms to increase their fares by 25% from the published rates but warned that those who exceeded the limit would face sanctions, including the possibility of losing their operating licenses.

Director General for Land Transportation Soejono said that he already had the names of bus companies that violated the regulations. Their names, including the punishment, would be announced within the next 10 days.

Jakarta's six major railway stations -- Kota, Gambir, Tanjung Priok, Manggarai, Pasar Senen and Jatinegara -- witnessed a more orderly return of Idul Fitri revelers.

S. Haryono, an official of the state railway company Perumka, said the peak is expected today.

There were also major preparations for the peak at Bakauheni port in Sumatra and at Merak port in West Java for the anticipated flood of people wanting to cross the Sunda Strait between the two islands.

The Navy is reinforcing the ferry services by deploying two warships to help transport some of the passengers.

The authorities in Serang, who oversee Merak port, have prepared 840 buses for the weekend to take the arrivals to Jakarta and other cities in Java.

Last weekend, at the peak of the exodus, the waiting time was more than 24 hours and dozens of people collapsed as they jostled their way onto the ferries. (emb/bsr/04)